You are what you eat. So why is it so hard for many of us to eat our fruits and vegetables? Chew on this, a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report reveals that—in many states—more than half of children between the ages of one and five do not eat a single vegetable on a daily basis. Even more shocking, only about a third of young kids eat fruit daily. It is alarming because both fruits and vegetables provide a wide variety of vitamins and minerals that are essential for optimal health, energy production and brain power.
Recommended Daily Serving
According to Maureen Shackelford, a nutritionist and registered dietitian at Luminis Health, most children should get a daily serving of one or two cups of vegetables. Since fruits offer similar nutritional and fiber content as vegetables, children should eat one to two cups of fruit each day. For each meal, more than half your plate should be full of fruits and vegetables, with the other half made up of one-quarter protein and one-quarter starch. In other words, cut back on the potatoes.
Encouraging Veggie Intake
As we know, most children don’t like to eat their vegetables. But Shackelford says presentation is key because kids are more likely to eat them when they look appealing. Consider pairing raw veggies with yogurt dip, peanut butter or hummus. You can also mix veggies into favorite meals like enchiladas, pizza, tacos, spaghetti sauce, pasta salads or omelets. Mixing vegetables with starches and protein makes the meal more appetizing and kids will eat healthier without even knowing it. Take it one step further and make funny faces with the foods on their plate or let your children choose their veggie toppings for dishes like pizza and tacos.
In fact, involving children in the purchasing and preparing of vegetables—and perhaps even in planting a garden—allows them to be included in the process and to develop more of an interest in the vegetables they are eating. Try using multi-compartment bento boxes for your child’s lunches, filling one or more compartments with vegetables.
Parents’ Own Consumption of Vegetables Sets an Example
You set the example by setting the table. Kids will follow your lead, so if parents consume plenty of vegetables each day, your youngsters will too, and it should begin at an early age.
Children have been shown to eat more vegetables when they have:
- Adults modeling the behavior
- Readily available veggies
- Rules about vegetable intake, with parents as the gatekeepers
- Shared family meals
While fresh is always best, frozen or canned vegetables can be an affordable option while still offering important nutrients. But it’s important to check the label and avoid varieties with added sugars or sodium.
Available Resources
Eating vegetables should be fun. You can visit sites like myplate.gov for activities, games, apps and more. In addition, EatRight.org offers creative ideas for adding vegetables into each meal, along with easy-to-prepare recipes that are developed by registered dietitians. And this may be hard to swallow, but limit or stay away altogether from fast food.
Maureen Shackelford is a nutritionist and registered dietitian at Luminis Health with more than 33 years of experience.
